Poland’s ruling party shook up its campaign team in a bid to regain traction four months ahead of an election as it struggles to build a decisive lead over the opposition.
(Bloomberg) — Poland’s ruling party shook up its campaign team in a bid to regain traction four months ahead of an election as it struggles to build a decisive lead over the opposition.
Joachim Brudzinski, deputy chairman of the nationalist Law & Justice and a close ally of party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, will lead the campaign for the election slated for October. He’ll replace Tomasz Poreba, who stepped down late Friday amid party infighting.
Seeking a third term in power, Law & Justice has been on the back foot since a promise to boost flagship family benefits failed to resonate with the public. A bid to target the main opposition leader over ties to Russia then threw it on the defensive.
The disarray has fueled speculation that Kaczynski may return to an active role in the government as he tightens his grip over the campaign, with top officials saying such a move can’t be ruled out. Poland’s most powerful politician, Kaczynski left his post as deputy prime minister a year ago to focus on preparing for the election.
Polls this month show that the opposition Civic Platform under Donald Tusk has gained in support, though still lags behind Law & Justice in most surveys. The ruling party had the backing of 33.5%, down a percentage point, while Tusk’s party had 28.3% — a gain of almost four points — according to a June 6-11 survey conducted by pollster IBRiS.
Tusk’s party was buoyed this month after as many as half a million demonstrators took to the streets of Warsaw June 4, denouncing the government for eroding democratic institutions. The protest, the largest of its kind since 1989, came days after Law & Justice pushed through legislation that would set up an investigative panel effectively targeting Tusk.
But the passage drew swift condemnation from the US and the European Union, who said the committee could be abused for election purposes. With party officials taken aback by the response, President Andrzej Duda promised to soften parts of the legislation — measures that were approved by the lower house on Friday.
In May, the party leader announced a 60% increase in payouts to families with children, a popular program that garnered support for Law & Justice in the past decade. But the issue registered less with the public this year.
Last week, Kaczynski turned to immigration. The party plans to hold a referendum on a developing EU migrant-relocation plan. New rules that entail financial costs for countries that don’t accept refugees amount to “discrimination,” Kaczynski said, pointing to the 1.5 million Ukrainians being sheltered in the country from the Russian invasion.
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